Thorny Devil Lizard Facts

Thorny devil lizards are part of class Reptilia and mainly live throughout the arid parts of Australia. Their scientific name, Moloch horridus, is derived from the Latin word meaning rough/bristly (horridus). These lizards get their name from the conical spikes across their whole body, and they can camouflage themselves in their environments. Fast Facts: Thorny Devil Lizards Scientific Name: Moloch horridusCommon Names: Thorny Devil, Mountain DevilOrder: SquamataBasic Animal Group: ReptileDistinguishing Characteristics: Conical spikes on its head, body, and tail with a skin color of yellow and brownish-black.Size: Up to 8 inchesWeight: 0.1 - 0.2 pounds on averageLife Span: Up to 20 yearsDiet: AntsHabitat: Dry desert, grasslands, scrublandConservation Status: Least ConcernFun Fact: Per meal, a thorny devil can eat anywhere from 600 to 2,500 ants with their sticky tongues. Description Thorny devils have cones and shields on their bodies that serve as camouflage and as retainers of any water they come in contact with. The colors of their skin range from brown to yellow as the time of day changes to effectively blend in with their arid environments. They have long tongues that allow them to catch ants, and their teeth are specially adapted to bite through the hard, chitin-rich bodies of ants. Females are generally larger than males, and they live 6 to 20 years in the wild. Head of a Thorny Devil Lizard. Theo Allofs / Getty Images These reptiles do not travel very far from their homes. They are not territorial and have been spotted in overlapping ranges of other thorny devils. They are also active from March through May and August through December. During the hottest (January and February) and coldest parts (June and July) of the year, thorny devils hide in burrows that they dig. Habitat and Distribution Thorny devils live in most of the arid regions of Australia, including the Southern and Western parts of the country. They prefer desert areas and spinifex grasslands. Spinifex is a type of spiky grass that grows in sand dunes. Diet and Behavior Their diet is made up exclusively of ants, eating anywhere from 600 to 2,500 ants in one meal. They locate these ants by moving very slowly to find trails and then waiting for the ants to come. They use their sticky tongues, similar to an anteaters, to pick them up. Additionally, thorny devils’ skin collects water from its environment and channels the liquid to its mouth to drink. In extreme circumstances, they bury themselves in the sand to get moisture from it. Thorny Devil traveling on the sand. Luis Castaneda Inc. / Getty Images Thorny devils are non-territorial and don’t travel very far from their homes. Their daily routine consists of leaving their cover in the morning to warm themselves in the sand, moving to their defecation site, and then returning to their cover along the same path while eating ants along the way. However, they will travel further distances between August and September when in search of mates. To defend against predators, such as buzzards and Australian bustards (large land birds), thorny devils curl themselves to protect their head and expose a bony mass on their neck often referred to as a false head. This fools predators into attacking the knob instead of its real head. Reproduction and Offspring Mating season for thorny devils occurs from August to December. They travel long distances to converge at mating sites. Males attempt to attract females by bobbing their heads and waving their legs. Females fall and roll to throw off any males that meet their disapproval. Females lay 3 to 10 eggs in burrows much deeper than their normal ones and fill in the holes to cover up any signs of the burrow. The eggs incubate anywhere from 90 to 132 days and then the young emerge. Males and females grow at similar rates for the first year, but females grow at faster rates up until age five. Conservation Status Thorny devils are designated as least concern as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The organization found thorny devils to be very widespread and unlikely to be under any threat. Sources Dewey, Tanya. Moloch Horridus. Animal Diversity Web, 2019, https:// animaldiversity.org/accounts/Moloch_horridus/.Moloch Horridus Adaptations. Dancing With The Devil, 2008, http:// bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2014/palmer_tayl/adaptation.htm.Thorny Devils. Bush Heritage Australia, 2019, https://www.bushheritage.org.au/species/thorny-devils.ï » ¿Thorny Devil. The IUCN Red List Of Threatened Species, 2019, https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/83492011/83492039.

Women s Rights During The Civil War - 1628 Words

Women Getting the Right to Vote â€Å"While the word suffrage, derived from the Latin â€Å"Suffragium,† simply refers to the right to vote, the modern connotation specifically calls to mind the women’s suffrage movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Part of the larger social movement of Women’s Rights and the fight for equality within patriarchal societies , the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the United States spans a seventy-two year period† (Dolton 31)The campaign for women’s suffrage began in the decades before the Civil War. During the 1820s and 30s, most states had extended the franchise to all white men, regardless of how much money or property they had. During this same time, many reform groups across the United States–temperance†¦show more content†¦The women’s suffrage movement (aka woman suffrage) was the struggle for the right of women to vote and run for office and is part of the overall women’s rights movement. In the mid-19th century, women in several countries—most notably, the U.S. and Britain—formed organizations to fight for suffrage. During the 1850s, the women’s rights movement gathered steam, but lost momentum when the Civil War began. â€Å"With several others they called the first women;s rights convention in the United States in 1848 at Seneca Falls, N.Y. Stanton insisted that a suffrage clause be included in the bill of rights for women that was drawn up at the convention† (â€Å"Elizabeth Cady Stanton†). Almost immediately after the war ended, the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution raised familiar questions of suffrage and citizenship. (The 14th Amendment cites that Constitution’s protection to all citizens–and defines â€Å"citizens† as â€Å"male†). Some woman-suffrage advocates, among them Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony believed that this was their chance for them to push lawmakers for a truly universal suffrage. As a result, they refused to support the 15th Amendment and even allied with racist Southerners who argued that white women’s votes could be used to neutralize those cast by African-Americans. â€Å"In 1869 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA)†

Commerative Speech free essay sample

It would be extremely difficult to walk away from millions of dollars doing something you have been doing since a child to protect people that you do not even know. This is what Patrick Tillman did. In 2001 Pat Tillman was a football player for the Arizona Cardinals. He was reaching the peak of his football career. But following the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001, Pat made a decision that would significantly impact the rest of his life. He decided to walk away from a multimillion dollar NFL contract to join the Army and fight for his country. And in November 2003 he was deployed to Afghanistan. While fighting for America’s freedom on April 22, 2004 he was killed by friendly fire. Despite his death, his story can provide inspiration for everybody to become better people. Tillman possessed many positive characteristics and values that everybody should strive to have. Some of the characteristics include selflessness and bravery. We will write a custom essay sample on Commerative Speech or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Pat did what many people are far too afraid to do. He joined the Army, knowing the consequences. Pat demonstrated great bravery. He could have continued playing football but he wanted to fight for his country. He volunteered knowing he would be in great danger. Many people feel that football players are brave because they have freakishly strong and athletic players chasing them down and trying to injure them. But that is nothing compared to heading to another country and being the target of another countries weapons. Bad injuries and head trauma can occur on the football field. But that comes with money and many other luxuries. On the battlefield people can end up dead and with mental traumas from what they see out there. Despite knowing the risks Pat was brave and wanted to fight for his country. Another great characteristic of Pat is his unselfishness. If I asked the majority of people if they would take a million dollars doing something they love or fight in the Army and risk their lives. We all know what most people would say. But not Pat. Pat realized there are more important things in life then playing football or being pretty. People are sacrificing their lives so people can enjoy their everyday freedoms and Pat understood that. He wanted to help people whether that put his life in jeopardy or not. Pat in many ways could have been considered a celebrity. But he did not care. When he joined the Army he didn’t ask for any extra attention. He didn’t give interviews explaining his decision because he knew that just how it had to be done. Pat could have had made millions of dollars but because of his unselfishness he decided it would be best for him to put his life at risk and protect the many Americans freedoms. The glamour and fame did not impact Tillman like it does so many others. Pat Tillman is a true patriot. When something was being done to his country that he did not like he took direct action. Pat could have continued to play football but he decided protecting America was far more important. Pat knew he could do more for more people in a United States Army uniform then a Arizona Cardinals uniform. Putting America above yourself in America’s time of need makes a true patriot, and Pat did that. Just like every other country America has its problems. But people like Tillman realize that and will do anything to make their country a better place to live. Many bad things could have happened to Pat but he did not care because of his unselfishness, bravery, and patriotism. Pats story inspires many people to become better people. There are many more important things in life that are often overshadowed by sports, facebook and many other things. Pat and other soldiers fought for people’s freedoms which now are often taken for granted.

Self-esteem, that is, the tendency to like oneself Essays

Self-esteem, that is, the tendency to like oneself and find confidence in ones own traits and abilities, is enjoyed far too rarely among women and girls in the United States. This lack of self-esteem is an epidemic problem. It often pains me to consider the consequences that have been suffered as a result of this social problem. Most men, and many women, don't recognize this problem, and worst of all, many who do recognize it fail to see it as a problem at all. But in my view this plague of self-loathing has profoundly and negatively affected some of my favorite things in life, things we all value. Sex, the arts, politics, philosophy, comedy, science and technology have all been crippled by a lack of self-confident women as participants. Did I mention sex? I mention it specifically not only because it is so important to me, but because it may also be a major factor in this whole equation. I suspect that sex with fully self-actualized, confident woman might be the best sex any man ever had. Sadly, many of us will never know. We are too stupid to find out because we actually think the opposite is true. More on that in a minute. Girls don't like themselves. This is the first problem in the self-esteem equation. The second problem is that girls lack confidence. But the whole problem really begins with little girls not liking themselves. Somehow, and the reasons for this are very much open to speculation, our little girls grow up learning that there is something inherently wrong with them. They learn from their fathers, or from their mothers, or from television, or magazines, or any number of other sources, that being a girl is not as interesting or important as being a boy. Little girls seem to learn this whether it is taught to them specifically or not. They seem to learn and believe this regardless of race, ethnicity, or income level. This notion is so pervasive in our culture that girls seem to learn that they are somehow inferior, or less valued than their brothers, or boyfriends, even when measures are taken to avoid exposing them to the idea, or when they are specifically taught otherwise. Any problem that is more pervasive an d persuasive than the influence of ones parents should be considered a serious problem indeed. I fear that it has become cliche, among people who know me, for me to take a cheap shot at Christianity now and then. But a whole bunch of my readers are, right now, probably thinking the same thing I am. So, given the importance of this topic, I hope that no one will consider my next statement to be a cheap shot of any kind. Some of my best friends are Christians. But, this paragraph can not pass without mention of the fact that, according to the Bible, the Old Testament in particular, there is something inherently wrong with women (lets call it say, "original sin") and women are inferior to men. I am not blaming anyone, I am just mentioning it. My readers can draw their own conclusions about whether the Bible is to blame for our problems, or whether it is just another victim of the same prejudice that pre-dates religion itself. Now for all of you apologists out there, save it. I am fully aware that because we are talking about the Old Testament, the same ideas are perpetuated, perhaps even to a greater degree by the Koran and the Torah. But for my money the Old Testament, particularly the protestant flavor of the Old Testament has had much more influence on American culture. Besides, I like Muslims and Jews better than I like Christians. We all have our prejudices. I like Christians better than I like Eskimos. Don't get me started on those people. Anyway, little girls hate themselves. It is tragic, because what happens next affects us all. Little girls grow into young women who lack confidence in their own ability to contribute to the world around them. Young women who lack confidence become people-pleasers. People-pleasing young women become victims, feeding the appetites of the worst elements of humanity, and robbing us